The state of Uttar Pradesh continues to be one of the high-burden states in India. Being the country’s most populous state, with a population of nearly 200 million, its fight against COVID-19 has been particularly challenging. When the cases surged after the lifting of restrictions, as part of its surveillance response activities with support from WHO, the state government put in place a mechanism to evaluate the status and quality of contact tracing to guide decision making for an informed public health response.
The WHO National Public Health Surveillance Project (NPSP) team of medical officers along with 800 field monitors undertook a massive exercise to assess the status and quality of contact tracing amongst the 58 000 laboratory-confirmed cases of COVID-19 in 75 districts across the state.
The WHO surveillance medical officers (SMOs) and sub-regional team leaders (SRTLs) conducted training for all the field monitors on the interview process and questionnaire.
The WHO field monitors also strengthened public health education through advocacy about necessary infection prevention and control measures.
The WHO team provided technical support to the state government to boost contact tracing efforts and strengthen capacity of field teams through training. Field monitors assessed the quality of contact tracing of 58 000 COVID-19 positive cases in 75 districts and found that 93% of the high-risk contacts were contacted and tested. This exercise helped the government in strengthening contact tracing in 17 districts where more than 12 000 high-risk contacts were missed for testing.
WHO thanks all donors and partners who have contributed to fund the Strategic Preparedness and Response Plan to combat COVID-19. A special appreciation goes to Member States and other contributors who provided flexible funds, making it possible for WHO to deliver a coherent, strategic and broad response.
Read more about WHO’s response to COVID-19